Medical Research News

RSS

Conventional methods may underestimate cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength in people with MS

Conventional methods of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength among people with multiple sclerosis may underestimate participants' capabilities, prompting clinicians to prescribe exercise therapies that are less effective than they could be, according to new research by scientists at the University of Illinois.

31 Oct 2015

Study addresses the problem of how cells tackle naturally occurring variation

Everyone who has played in a band or orchestra knows that playing in time creates music, while playing out of time creates cacophony. In an orchestra, each player may be out of tune when warming up, but eventually, all players must reach the same pitch, rhythm, and timing to produce a viable piece of music.

31 Oct 2015

Stem cell transplantation may offer viable treatment for Alzheimer's disease patients

Alzheimer's disease (AD), affecting millions worldwide, is the leading cause of dementia. The prevalence of AD is rapidly increasing, and will possibly affect over 100 million people by 2050, yet there are no effective therapies for the disease.

31 Oct 2015

Nuclear membrane fixes potentially fatal breaks in DNA strands

Scientists have found a new function of the nuclear membrane, the envelope that encases and protects DNA in the nucleus of a cell - it fixes potentially fatal breaks in DNA strands.

31 Oct 2015

Routine clinical features may aid BVFTD diagnostic accuracy

Researchers have identified clinical features that can help determine which patients assessed for behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia are most likely to actually have the condition.

30 Oct 2015

Low-dose occupational radiation exposure increases solid cancer risk

Results of the International Nuclear Workers Study suggest a linear increase in incidence of solid cancers with increasing exposure to radiation.

30 Oct 2015

Very long-term outcomes of childhood onset epilepsy reported

A study in Epilepsia presents seizure remission outcomes as well as detailed clinical and neurological findings from a minimum 45-year follow-up of a Finnish cohort of individuals with childhood-onset epilepsy.

30 Oct 2015

‘Room for improvement’ in post-thrombolysis haemorrhage management

Real-world data on the management of post-thrombolysis symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage highlight delays in diagnosis and treatment.

30 Oct 2015

Lack of adequate sleep can interfere with fundamental cellular process

Lack of adequate sleep can do more than just make you tired. It can short-circuit your system and interfere with a fundamental cellular process that drives physical growth, physiological adaptation and even brain activity, according to a new study from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

30 Oct 2015

University of Kansas professor recognized with MERIT Award

Emily Scott, professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Kansas, has been recognized with a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences. It's a rare and important recognition -- researchers can receive them only once in a career.

30 Oct 2015

Diet missing soluble fiber promotes inflammation in the intestines, leading to weight gain

Eating too much high-fat, high-calorie food is considered the primary cause of obesity and obesity-related disease, including diabetes. While the excess calories consumed are a direct cause of the fat accumulation, scientists suspect that low-grade inflammation due to an altered gut microbiome may also be involved.

30 Oct 2015

Discovery may allow physicians to warn patients years before onset of diabetes

A panel of markers have been discovered that helps identify if a person is pre-diabetic by measuring the fatty acids in their blood. This discovery by University of Hawai'i Cancer Center researchers may allow physicians to warn patients years before the onset of diabetes, therefore allowing them to change their lifestyle patterns potentially avoiding the diagnosis of a chronic disease.

30 Oct 2015

Incidence of breast cancer among African American women is increasing

Breast cancer statistics published this week indicate a continuing upward trend for rates of breast cancer among African American women in the United States. The incidence of breast cancer in this population of women who have historically had low rates of breast cancer is now approaching that seen among white women.

30 Oct 2015

Physicians leave severe acne patients on ineffective antibiotics for too long before prescribing more potent drug

A medical records analysis by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center concludes that physicians who treat severe acne leave too many patients on ineffective antibiotics for far too long before prescribing more potent needed therapy with the medication isotretinoin, sometimes known by its former brand name Accutane.

30 Oct 2015

Fast food TV ads pose threat to childrens' health

Fast food companies advertise children's meals on TV with ads that feature toy premiums, and it has been suggested that the use of these toy premiums may prompt children to request eating at fast food restaurants. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers found that the more children watched television channels that aired ads for children's fast food meals, the more frequently their families visited those fast food restaurants.

30 Oct 2015

Specialized type of immunotherapy can boost survival from pancreatic cancer

A new study in mice by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that a specialized type of immunotherapy — even when used without chemotherapy or radiation — can boost survival from pancreatic cancer, a nearly almost-lethal disease, by more than 75 percent. The findings are so promising, human clinical trials are planned within the next year.

30 Oct 2015

Vertical jump could predict lower body bone strength in adolescents

Every year at least 250,000 older Americans are hospitalized for hip fractures. It is hard to recover from a hip fracture, and many people lose their independence afterward. Low bone strength during the growing the years can lead to a greater chance of having a hip fracture as an older adult.

30 Oct 2015

Research abstracts on obesity, weight loss to be presented at ObesityWeek 2015

Nearly 1,000 research abstracts will be presented on new and emerging obesity treatments, the science of weight loss, new prevention strategies, metabolic surgery, digital health technology and public policy when thousands of leading researchers, policymakers and health professionals gather for ObesityWeek 2015 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California from November 2 - 7, 2015.

30 Oct 2015

New online tool may allow researchers explore formation of hair follicles

A new online database will empower researchers exploring how hair follicles and the surrounding skin develop, according to an article published recently in the journal Developmental Cell. The work is central to understanding the interactions between stem cells and their environment - or "niche cells" - during fetal development, and will specifically facilitate future attempts to make skin grafts with functional hair follicles or to regenerate lost hair in patients.

30 Oct 2015

Patients with achilles tendon disorders fare better with conservative treatment

Achilles tendon disorders are common and often misdiagnosed, with about 25 percent of ruptures missed during initial examination, but the prognosis is favorable for the vast majority of patients, according to researchers from Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine and the Rothman Institute of Jefferson Medical College.

30 Oct 2015